KOCHI: Two hundred metres past the Palarivattom Circle to the southern side, two roads — one from Kakkanad and the other from Edappally — converge and continue so for nearly four kilometres into the heart of the city.
One of Kochi’s few arterial roads, the two-lane stretch was adequate until the late 2000s. However, with the number of vehicles plying on city roads exploding ever since, the road has been struggling to carry traffic. More profoundly so after a spate of construction work in the area.
But the villain here, far from common assumptions, is an unscientific U-turn placed right at the convergence point of the two roads, local residents and commuters pointed out.
“Four lanes become two here, creating a bottleneck. If that isn’t bad enough, traffic patterns make it worse,” said Abi Cherian, whose Welcome Department Store has overlooked the junction for nearly five decades. “Slow-moving vehicles from the Kakkanad side keep to the left, while faster vehicles and those trying to take the U-turn trespass into the right lane, blocking traffic coming from the other stretch,” he explained.
A similar pattern plays out for vehicles from Edappally, he said. And many veer away to avoid the queue for the U-turn, disrupting traffic on the left lane as well.
“This criss-crossing has been happening for years. Snarl-ups are now the norm, not the exception,” Abi added.
The chaotic movement, coupled with ongoing construction, has also turned the stretch accident-prone, said Sirajuddeen N, who runs a juice bar nearby. “There have been a few accidents. Thankfully, nothing major so far,” he said.
“It is those new to Kochi who are most laboured by this stretch. But they learn quickly enough, for the crawling traffic gives them ample time to learn,” Sirajuddeen quipped.
According to him, vehicles begin piling up as early as 8am and ease only by noon. “Evenings are worse, especially on weekends. The queue then can stretch close to a kilometre,” he added.
Local resident Sebastian said the problem predates the current construction work, like the one for the Kakkanad metro line. “The traffic block here has been almost eternal. The construction is recent, and the widening it enables may actually help in the long run,” he pointed out.
Earlier, Sebastian highlighted, the stretch between St Martin’s Church and Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium had three U-turns. “Then, this U-turn in question was not as important. When the two furthest away were closed, it put undue stress on this one,” he observed.
Indeed, for motorists exiting National Highway 66 and heading towards Changampuzha Park or Edappally, this U-turn remains the most viable option, unless of course they are willing to drive deeper into the city.
“But the road isn’t wide enough to allow a smooth turn, especially for larger vehicles,” said Joseph K K, who runs a textile shop at the junction.
Even some big cars take two or three attempts to rejoin traffic. The U-turn and congestion have also robbed nearby establishments of parking space, and Joseph’s business and Abi’s store are among the few that remain despite the challenges. “Kaloor to Palarivattom used to take five minutes. Now, you’re lucky if you can do it in 30 during peak hours,” Joseph added.
Adding to the woes, barricades erected for construction have reduced both the preceding and succeeding stretches of the U-turn into a single lane.
“Two bottlenecks and then this U-turn. You can’t ask for a more dire stretch in Kochi,” said Ashok Rajan, a commuter.
For many, the Pullepady–Thammanam route has offered some relief, peeling away a layer of traffic from this arterial city road. But as TNIE had reported earlier, a massive ‘500-sq ft’ pothole at the centre of that stretch has slowed traffic down to a crawl there as well.